Kip's List of Soft Neutral Names

Juniper

English from Latin tree name

"young"

Juniper is a nature name that we really like. While it's trendiest for girls -- about 2500 baby girls were named Juniper in 2022 versus 34 baby boys -- the most notable Juniper in history was the…

Kit

English, diminutive of Christopher

"bearer of Christ"

Actor Kit Harington, aka the dreamy Jon Snow on Game of Thrones , has given this nickname-name new style and appeal for boys. Actress Jodie Foster used it for her son back in the 2000s, while actor…

Lake

Nature name

Evocative modern unisex choice brought into the spotlight by actress Lake Bell.

Mell

Mell is a masculine name with roots in various cultures. It may be a variant of 'Mel,' which is often a diminutive of names like Melvin, Melbourne, or Melchior. The name has Germanic and Latin…

Odie

Diminutive of Odell, Otis; English, German

"of the valley; wealthy"

This old-timey nickname for Otis and Odell is strongly tied to Garfield’s canine companion in the Garfield comic, movie, and TV franchise. Actress Ashley Williams gave it signs of life when she used…

Rain

Nature name

Mostly feminine, though "Office" star Rainn Wilson gives it a slight masculine twist. You might also use this as a short form of Raines.

Roscoe

English, Norse

"deer forest"

Fairly popular a hundred years ago but out of the US charts since 1978, the quirky yet edgy Roscoe feels very much in step with the trending o-ending boy names popular now, such as Milo, Hugo, and…

Sky

Nature name

Sky is an ambigender nature name that was first legitimized as the character of Sky Masterson in the 1950 musical Guys and Dolls , played in the film version by Marlon Brando. It's a name we…